donno what it's done... but I've spray foamed most nooks and crannies..

 

Did that make a big difference and how so?

 

not a huge difference, but in places where you can't get other things, it helps stiffen things up...

rockers

rear sides (coupe)

trunk

upper rear side (sealing trunk for IB)

 

I have heard of people doing this and causing their body pannels to bulge becuase they used to much. Is that a real risk or just superstition?

 

depends on the type of spray foam used. some versions of great stuff, from what I've seen, will indeed press panels out of shape as they expand and cure.

 

The kind for windows will not expand like that.

 

i have friends that have used kerfed mdf for their roofs. havent taken that step myself. no need when im not running a high powered system haha. i DO plan on using mdf to rebuild my door panels and sealed pods (96 tacoma) ive also used the hilti expanding foam to seal up the voids in the cabs subframe. firmed it up a bit and reduced whatever rattles could come from those pieces of sheet metal contacting each other. i found if it drips, dont wipe it up. just let it try and itll break off. whatever residue is left over can be cleaned up with acetone.

 

I like the ideas in this post:
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/1250056-post224.html
And several other post like that from the same author. Considering he sells the regular deadener products I like the ideas he shares with us. Thanks for taking the time Rick!

 

The most extreme I have ever heard of was using cement in the body pannels. This was for an all out SPL car but talk about hardcore.

 

I've seen that first hand. Solid to say the least.

 

I have R-30 cotton insulation spray glued to my door cards as well as acoustic baffling in my car.

 

we also used almost an entire roll of insulation cramming it into crevice and cavity in the rear quarter panels, dash, door panels etc....to eliminate road noise, reduce panel flex and increase noise absorption.
works better than spray foam IMO

 

I've got polyfill and various types of foam stuffed all over my car. Different foam sandwiching depending on what I'm trying to do.

Polyfill in crevices really helps stiffen panels.

 

Yup, same here. Had a bunch of polyfill from an old build and decided to try stuffing it throughout my car. Made a significant improvement in reducing the rattles.

 

I have a bail of woven cotton insulation left over from building absorption panels for my home studio. I ran out of the Owens Corning 703, which is more rigid. I plan to stuff areas with it and am considering building absorption panels with it around the car to reduce reflections. Dash, roof, doors and rear deck appear to be good places to start. Gonna wrap it in acoustically transparent cloth. Too bad I can't do the windows.

 

I'd be interested to see how it comes out... Looks, I mean, in the car. Absorption panels can get quite thick, depending on what you're trying to absorb.

Better yet, we should make diffusion panels. Lol....


OT, I live in Decatur. Howdy, neighbor.

 

Howdy neighbor!

 

I have an idea , but not sure if it will work.

Using a coating type paste (second skin or whatever) , use a bit of talcum powder to thicken it with a slight amount of resin and hardner. then 2 big bags of loose ball beatrings of various sizes mixed in , use this on flat panels should add weight .

dunno how well it will work , but u get the idea.

 

I'm having a car audio meet next month at my house if you'd like to come out.

 

Thank you for the invite. I have seen your thread and really wanted to hear many of the products I read about on here. I will check my schedule ( I travel a lot for my job). My car is still a stack of parts waiting to be installed. I will RSVP if I am able to attend. Thank you!

 

i never understood why people do these things to astro vans. i mean if you're gonna gut and strip the interior why not just start out with a cargo van that is already empty in the rear. not only that but they also have a beefier engine and alternator no? seems like much more of a blank slate than an old style minivan, plus all the extra room. a nice chevy 3500 or ford econoline 350 would have that much more volume for a box.

 

i dont get it either... the guy wanted all of that done, but didnt want to upgrade the suspension to accommodate the extra THOUSANDS of pounds that were now being carried by it. he also didnt want to do a plexi windshield and didnt want to reinforce the doors. honestly, the guy is a retard. but it was fun to do! especially since ill never do it again! (by choice)

 

I forgot the OTHER foam...:laugh: (it's a memory type foam)

Looking up at the pedal box/steering column.. (filled behind gauges as well)

 

You should see mine, and the console, too.

Doing that sure does make the ride quieter, I believe.

 

sounds good.

curious, what field are you in? PM sent...

 

I may own and sell BXT II RAAMmat and sell a huge amount of Ensolite but I use whatever it takes on the particular install that is needed.

96 Taco: Filled every cavity in the cab I could with Todal, Pur Fil foam, this is not your Home Depot foam by any means. I used aluminum channels to stiffen some areas before adding deadening, three different materials to line the underside of the dash, silicone sealer, tie raps and a great deal of mat, spray on stuff in some areas, very solid speaker baffles, channels behind them, etc...etc....etc....200 hours into deadening alone!

05 Scion tC TT/Audio comp car: removed a few hundred pounds of weight any way I could, cost and time be damned, then used 360 liquid oz of the Pur Fil(one nasty long week just doing that!) CF roof, cage, aluminum channels, a great deal of it, barely any mat, lots of ensolite, egg crate acoustical foam in the rear seat and rear sides, another 100 hours or so........

06 Vette: Higher percentage of mat than some installs but the rear of the car just needed it. Lots of Ensolite, lined underneath as much as I could with the foam, fender wells and liners, 335 tires, headers, exhaust, convertible and very quiet on the road and only added 20 lbs! I used my Alumalite speaker baffles as super stiff, super effective and super low in weight at just 4.5 oz, going from a 10 to a 6.5 leaves alot of baffle! Alumalite door filler plates, channels on the door skins, neo mids, Arc mini amps, etc.....total weigh gaing, with IDQ10V3 in ultra light enclosure, just over 40 lbs including deadening.

06 Duramax: Channels in the doors, aluminum over the huge gaping access holes, mat, channels to stiffen that area more, Ensolite of course. Under the dash, approx two sheets of PE acoustical foam, huge reduction in engine noise as can barely tell it is a diesel on the road.

Many many others over the years. I always use silicone on light sockets, behind connectors, under wires, joints in panels, door pops, etc........tons of tie wraps, strips of foam, expanding foam, fiberglass sometimes, etc.........

I only add mass where it is needed according to the vehicle, bass, midbass, etc power, location, etc..............lots of etc...........in what I do

I do what it takes and always recommend steps I feel a particular vehicle, system, owner requires, many times less material from me than they think they need.

Rick

 

How well does that memory foam work? Think I could deaden my whole car with it effectively?

 

I used 45 mil EPDM roofing rubber to line my trunk, rear deck and doors - it seems to work great - road noise greatly reduced, and really deadened the trunk and doors. I had it left over from a koi pond project..... it's alot cheaper than any of the mat stuff...

 

For a second I thought that said 45 mm. Of course something over 1.75" thick would deaden

Can you pick up that stuff at Home Depot or Lowes? Is it a viable alternative to mass-loaded vinyl?

 

i like the ideas here. last week i've been stuffing cellulose (blow-in) insulation in all my car's cavities, nooks and crannies. it has worked really well and you can really pack it in tight, but i will probably look for an alternative as it was a complete mess! only cost 10 bucks at the depot, though.

also looking for comparable mlv alternatives.....

 

I don't use any of that pre-made stuff marketed for car sound deadening... too expensive.

I use elastomeric paint and filler (from Home Depot), open-cell foam on top of that, and carpet on top of everything.